Wanderlust: November 2011

Quotes That Keep Me Going....

"There are only three sports: Bull fighting, motor racing and mountaineering; the rest are merely games." Ernest Hemingway

"Adventure is a path. Real adventure--self-determined, self-motivated, often risky--forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the ear and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind--and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white."

--Mark Jenkin

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are."

--Samuel Johnson

"Tourists don't know where they've been. Travelers don't know where they're going."
--Paul Theroux

"Not all those who wander are lost."
--J.R.R Token

"On a summit the entire world is beneath us, horizons are expanded, and clarity envelops our senses. It is this feeling that the mountaineer seeks, and perhaps it is the feeling that we all seek as we search for love and purpose in our own measured lives. In reaching for the summits of the heart and holding on to them, love and hope transcend the tragedy of our ultimate end." Jennifer Lowe-Anker

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Hong Kong

After getting WFR certified and falling completely in love with Colorado, Cody and I made our way back to LA to catch our flight to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. In other words, it was a huge contrast to the Rockies and we found ourselves jetlagged and slightly overwhelmed.

Traveling with a backpack full of backcountry climbing gear, we did not have the right attire to get into any of the yummy restaurants I had been salivating about nor did we have any desire to shop for various real and/or fake luxury items. This left us with nothing to do but people watch, stroll around town during a typhoon in head to toe Gortex, and embark on my favorite urban hike in the world.

If any of you end up in Hong Kong and find yourselves in a similar situation, I highly recommend the Dragon’s Back trail in Shek O Country Park. The trail is a fairly easy stroll rather than a hike, but truly well worth the little amount of time you need to complete it.

The views from the ridge are spectacular. If you look to the east, you’ll see the Clear Water Bay peninsula islands, and if you look to the west, you’ll see the Stanley peninsula. The hike makes you feel like you’re a million miles away from everything. In case you need more convincing, the Dragon’s Back trail had been voted the best urban hike in Asia by Time magazine.

Hong Kong reminds us of Manhattan in Hawaii filled with busy Asians and ex-pats: a truly intense place to visit. All in all, we are stoked to make are way onward to Thailand.

Tesha Karn

My name is Tesha Karn. I started T.Karn, an Asian art and decor company, in 2007 out of my passion for traveling to the most exotic, least visited locations in the world. Each time I returned to the states, it became more and more apparent that the Western home lacked the spiciness of Eastern art and décor. What was a personal hobby, collecting art, soon turned into a business and T.Karn was born.

I have always appreciated art as the collective soul of the human race and now, through my business, I try to promote my belief that art helps us understand one another despite unimaginable cultural and physical distances. Although my home base is New York City, I continue to frequent the ends of the earth on a regular basis, finding one-of-a-kind items to share with the Western home.

This blog allows me to share my adventures in pursuit of exquisite Asian art and decor as well as pure joy and exhilaration. Please enjoy!

Save the Chiru

After traveling through India and Nepal, I became cognisant of Tibetan Antelope, also known as Chiru. The poised and elegant animals that use to flourish on the Tibetan plateau are now listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service due to commercial poaching for their fur. The Tibetan Antelope wool, also commonly referred to as shahtoosh, is a highly sought after commodity due to its warmth and softness. In response to this troubling situation, my company and I are now promoting a material called shamina, which boast the same attributes as shahtoosh. Shamina is produced from the first clipping of baby goats. No animals are harmed in this process. The clippings are hand-woven in Kashmir and natural dyes are used. Please do not partake in the vicious hunt for shahtoosh. Save the Chiru!